1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to illuminating devices and more particularly to a solar light.
2. Background of the Invention
Aids to Navigation (ATONS) comprise floating and fixed channel markers which may be lit or unlit to aid a vessel operator in safely transiting waterways. For daytime navigation, ATONS bear numerical, color and alpha identifiers enabling the navigator to determine his position in addition to being able to safely navigate. Night navigation presents a new set of problems for the navigator. Not all ATONS are lit. Those that are lit provide only an indicator light with a color and light characteristics such as repetition rate and the like.
Unlit ATONS comprise floating buoys and fixed markers. These ATONS contain dayboards having numerical, color and alpha identifiers thereon. Although the dayboards contain highly reflective coatings to enable a navigator to identify them, the need to frequently shine a light to illuminate the ATON is both inconvenient and deleterious to the night vision of the navigator.
Private ATONS are established and maintained by persons other than the U.S. Coast Guard and generally found on back waters, entrances to marinas and the like. These ATONS are rarely lit, yet identify channels which must be properly navigated. It is an obvious conclusion that illumination of the dayboards of all these ATONS would be of great benefit to the navigator
Illumination of ATON dayboards is quite similar to the need for illumination of other various signs such as real estate signs and the like. The effectiveness of an illuminated sign versus an unlit sign is undisputable. The need for a means of illuminating dayboards and signs with an easily installed lighting assembly requiring minimum maintenance, and easily replaceable components has been well established.
There have been many in the prior art who have attempted to solve these problems with varying degrees of success. None, however completely satisfies the requirements for a complete solution to the aforestated problem. The following U.S. Patents are attempts of the prior art to solve this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,356 to Freese, et al. discloses a crib light having front and rear housing portions which cooperate to clamp the light to a horizontal rail of a crib. The rear housing portion may be removed to permit the front housing portion to be mounted flush to a vertical wall surface. In addition, a lens cover is provided adjacent to a light emitting aperture of the front housing portion for controlling the brightness of light emitted. A control circuit is further provided for automatically shutting the light off after a predetermined interval of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,468 to Tsao, et al. discloses a warning light to be coupled to a stop sign. The warning light includes a main unit, a holder for cooperating with the main unit to couple to the stop sign, a solar cell for converting solar energy into electrical energy, a light emitting element disposed in the main unit, an energy storage device coupled to the solar cell for storing the electrical energy, and a charge control circuit coupled to the solar cell, energy storage device and light emitting element. The charge control circuit selectively directs electrical energy from the solar cell to energy storage device, or from the energy storage device to the light emitting element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,840 to Watson discloses a lighting apparatus for use with a name plate sign including an elongate frame having a planar bottom with an upper portion defining an interior space. The frame bottom includes a bracket for attachment to the name plate. A rechargeable battery is mounted within the interior space of the frame and is electrically connected to a plurality of light sources depending from the frame bottom. A thin film solar panel is positioned atop the upper frame portion and is electrically connected to the battery to repeatedly recharge it as the panel collects solar energy. A photoelectric light sensor is mounted to the frame and permits current to flow from the battery to the light sources when a sensed level of ambient light is less than a predetermined level. Therefore, the name plate is illuminated when insufficient ambient light is available.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,616 to Shih discloses a solar powered warning light device including a housing having a front orifice, a solar panel disposed on top of the housing to receive solar energy, a circuit board disposed in the housing and having a converting device coupled to the solar panel, to receive and to convert the solar energy into electric energy and stored in one or more capacitors. The circuit board includes one or more light devices coupled to and energized by the capacitor, and engaged in the orifice of the housing, to emit light out of the housing. A switch may switch on and off the light device, and a photoactive member is coupled to the electric switch, to operate the electric switch by the light of the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,631 to Distefano, et al. discloses a nautical light emitting diode (“LED”) safety channel marker that is cylindrical in shape, capable of displaying lighted oceanic regulation symbols on either side, and that at night illuminates the panels that display a red triangle and a green square through the use of LEDs that surround the perimeter of the square and triangle in order to more effectively prevent boats from colliding with the markers during the darkness hours.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,527 to Meyers, et al. discloses a mountable lighting module that uses solar energy to charge a power source for LEDs used in night illumination of both sides of a double-faced sign. The mountable lighting module comprises a housing for the electronics conjoined with a clamp for mounting to a sign support and a pair of sign illuminating members with each extending over opposing sides of the sign directly illuminating the sign's copy area.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,422,348 to Yates, I I discloses a lighting apparatus preferably for use with a removable frame sign including a light canopy for illuminating the sign when ambient light is less than a predetermined level. The light canopy easily attaches to the frame and illuminates the surfaces of the sign through an arrangement of a plurality of light sources positioned in elongated recesses. The light sources are electrically connected with a rechargeable battery, light sensor, and a solar panel. The solar panel contained in the light canopy is protected and covered by a translucent cover. The lighting apparatus can be readily removed from the sign to allow for interchangeability of the signage and extends the time period for sign visibility during low levels of ambient light.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,085 to Holman discloses embodiments of a solar lighting apparatus and method.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,654,684 to Wight, et al. discloses a solar-rechargeable light fixture. A preferred embodiment is adapted for attachment to the horizontal cross-bar of a yard-mounted real estate sign effective to illuminate both sides of the sign after dark. The light fixture includes a solar panel adapted to charge a battery which powers a plurality of lights, such as incandescent bulbs or LEDs. Sometimes, a microprocessor is included in-circuit to control operation of the light fixture, and may also provide diagnostic feedback to a user. Desirably, the light fixture can be switched into a storage mode to avoid discharge of the battery during periods of non-use.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,863 to Holman, et al. discloses a sign light to illuminate a sign such as a real estate sale sign. The sign light is configured to suspend between the crossarm of a sign post and the sign. The sign light includes a housing, a light source, and sign mounting hardware. The housing allows the sign light to suspend from a crossarm of a sign post. The housing includes an internal compartment. The light source is located within the internal compartment of the housing. The sign mounting hardware is directly coupled to the housing to provide a mounting location for a sign to hang from the mounting hardware. The housing and mounting hardware facilitate suspending the sign light between the crossarm of the sign post and the sign.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,459,826 to Holman, et al. discloses a lighting apparatus including a housing, a light source, and sign mounting hardware. The housing includes a top surface which is also a top surface of the entire lighting apparatus. The top surface of the lighting apparatus includes attachment means for coupling the lighting apparatus to light mounting hardware to suspend the lighting apparatus from a bottom surface of a crossarm of a sign post in a mounted position, so that the entire lighting apparatus suspends below a bottom surface of the crossarm of the sign post in the mounted position. The light source is within an internal compartment of the housing. The sign mounting hardware is coupled to the housing. The sign mounting hardware is configured to suspend a sign from the lighting apparatus, so that the entire sign suspends below the lighting apparatus in the mounted position.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D378,143 to Kollins discloses a design for a portable solar powered yard sign light, as shown and described.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D616,137 to Bucher, et al. discloses an ornamental design for a sign light device, as shown and described.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D639,479 to Cortes, et al. discloses an ornamental design for a sign illuminating device, as shown and described.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D678,573 to Lane discloses an ornamental design for a solar powered basketball rim illuminator, as shown and described.
United States Patent Application 2005/0174776 to Althaus discloses a light of an apparatus for illumination of a sign. The sign is part of a unit which can be attached permanently to the existing sign and contains a power supply which is independent of the mains. In addition to the illumination of the sign, a further light may also illuminate a surrounding area, for example, areas of footpaths and roads.
United States Patent Application 2006/0050528 to Lyons, et al. discloses a real estate sign post having a crossbar on which a modular lighting unit is secured by two theft-resistant screws having non-circular holes in their heads and shielded by upstanding walls on mounting brackets. The lighting unit is enclosed in a box-like housing with a solar panel in the top side, slot-like lamp openings at opposite ends of the bottom side, and elongated arrays of LED's mounted in concave reflectors for directing light toward opposite sides of a real estate sign. Battery packs enclosed in shrink wrap and a controller are enclosed in the housing. An alternative embodiment mounts fluorescent bulbs in reflectors that are supported on opposite sides of a base unit by elongated arms.
United States Patent Application 2006/0133083 to Gelbert discloses a sign assembly including a fixture capable of being attached to a sign support structure. The sign assembly also includes a canopy which can slideably engage the fixture to provide cover for the sign support structure. The canopy can be foldable and can include lights to illuminate a sign held by the sign support structure. The lights can be provided power through contacts which are engaged when the canopy is attached to the fixture.
United States Patent Application 2006/0274521 to Ulrich discloses a lighting device connectable to a horizontal arm of a realty sign post for directing light to both sides of the sign. The device includes a mounting structure and an upper housing. The device is actuated by a polar rechargeable batter disposed in the housing. Solar panels are connected to an arcuate surface of the upper housing of the device and electrically connected to the battery and a series of LED lights fitted along a pair of cavities in the mounting structure. The lighting device is attached to the realty sign post by pivotal arms that selectively secure around the horizontal arm.
United States Patent Application 2007/0017131 to Visotcky, et al. discloses a lighting system for a real estate sign comprising an elongated illumination arm, a light source, an attachment housing, a power supply, and means for removably attaching the attachment housing to a real estate sign. The light source is connected to one end of the illumination arm, and the power supply is connected to another end. The lighting system may further have a switch to interrupt and reestablish the electrical communication between the power supply and the light source. In a version of the invention, the illumination arm is articulable and may be bent to direct light from the light source toward the sign.
United States Patent Application 2007/0159817 to Evans, et al. discloses a device for illuminating a yard sign that uses an efficient beam of light and is adapted to cycle on and off. The illuminating device includes a main body portion, a switch, a control circuit, a power source, at least one arm adjustably attached to the main body portion, and a light head disposed proximate an end of the at least one arm, the light head comprising at least one light emitting diode (LED) assembly. The control circuit is configured to automatically cycle the LED assembly on and off when activated by the switch.
United States Patent Application 2007/0230166 to Gilbert discloses a sign assembly including a fixture capable of being attached to a sign support structure. The sign assembly also includes a canopy which can slideably engage the fixture to provide cover for the sign support structure. The canopy can be foldable and can include lights to illuminate a sign held by the sign support structure. The lights can be provided power through contacts which are engaged when the canopy is attached to the fixture.
United States Patent Application 2007/0236924 to Personius, et al. discloses one possible embodiment of the invention which could be signage illumination apparatus comprising a body, the body having generally an inverted U-shaped cross section substantially forming a channel that allows the device to straddle a support arm of a yard signage. The body generally supports electronic circuitry that is substantially electrically connected to solar power cell(s), a rechargeable electrical storage device(s) and an illumination source(s). When light is generally energizing the solar power cell(s), the electronic circuitry may cause the resultant current from the solar power cell(s) to generally charge the rechargeable electrical power source(s) and not power the illumination device(s). When light is not generally energizing the solar panel(s), the electronic circuitry board may cause the charged rechargeable electrical power source (s) to discharge and power the illumination device(s) to illuminate at least a portion of the yard signage.
Although the aforementioned prior art have contributed to the development of the art illuminating signs and the like, none of these prior art patents have solved the needs of this art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for illuminating ATON dayboards and signs.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus that is simple for the operator to install on existing dayboards or signs.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus that is relatively maintenance free.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus that is simple replace defective or failed components.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus that is easy to cost effectively produce.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.